Weeks 1–2
Pain
Calm the symptoms down.
Gentle, guided techniques start easing headache, dizziness, and light sensitivity, starting your very first visit.
What We Treat
Concussion treatment in Lodi.
The stiffness when you stand up from the couch. The twinge that decides whether today’s a good day. It’s fixable, and it starts with a cause-first evaluation, not a guess.
Sound Familiar?
Does this sound like you?
- A hit to the head that left you foggy long after the headache should have faded
- Screens and bright lights that leave you needing a dark, quiet room
- Losing your train of thought mid-sentence, more than you used to
- Dizziness that shows up the moment you turn your head too fast
- Feeling “not quite right” weeks after everyone else assumed you were fine
- Avoiding the gym or the field because you’re not sure your brain is ready
Two or more? Keep reading.
Why It Happens
A concussion is a brain injury. Its symptoms have a cause.
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury, caused by a blow to the head or body that makes the brain move rapidly inside the skull. That sudden movement temporarily disrupts normal brain function, which is why symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, brain fog, memory trouble, and sensitivity to light and sound. Whiplash-type forces often strain the neck at the same time, which can feed headaches and dizziness even further.
Recovery isn’t one-size-fits-all. It takes a real, cause-first evaluation across the vestibular, visual, cervical, and cognitive systems to find which of those are still misfiring, then build a plan using vestibular rehab tools like gaze stability and habituation training that target the actual source, not just “time and rest.”
The Honest Truth
Waiting on a concussion doesn’t make it wait on you.
If you keep waiting
- Symptoms that should have faded in weeks start looking a lot more permanent
- You keep avoiding light, screens, and activity, which can slow the brain’s actual recovery
- A second hit before you’re fully healed carries real, compounding risk
If you start this week
- You get a real evaluation of your vestibular, visual, and cognitive systems, not just “rest and wait”
- Guided exposure starts retraining your brain’s tolerance for light, motion, and screens
- You get a plan with an endpoint: a real return-to-play or return-to-work clearance, not a guess
Nobody regrets starting too early. Every week, someone in our clinic says they regret waiting.
How We Fix It
The same four phases. Built for your recovery.
Every plan has an endpoint. Here’s what the four phases look like after a concussion.
Weeks 2–6
Prime
Retrain your brain’s tolerance.
Targeted gaze stability and habituation exercises rebuild your tolerance for motion, screens, and light.
Weeks 6–10
Perform
Build endurance back.
Progressive cognitive and physical loading rebuilds the stamina concussion symptoms have been limiting.
Weeks 10+
Prevent
Cleared for real life, not just cleared.
Sport, work, and screen demands get tested under real conditions before you’re cleared to go all-in: that’s the endpoint, not just another appointment.
Very welcoming and respectful. Great staff members.
Shared by Lalo C. · Excel Physical Therapy patient
Wasn’t sure what kind of support to expect after the injury
Found a staff so welcoming and respectful it stood out enough to mention
Excel Physical Therapy patient
★★★★★ Google review
Questions, Answered
What people ask before booking for concussion therapy.
Often not right away, most concussions don’t show up on a standard scan since it’s a functional injury, not structural damage. We start with a hands-on evaluation of your vestibular, visual, and neck systems to find what’s actually driving your headaches, dizziness, or fog, and if anything raises a genuine red flag, we’ll help you get to the right specialist fast. You don’t have to just wait it out in a dark room.
Yes, in carefully dosed amounts, and total rest past the first day or two can actually slow recovery. Guided, gradual return to light activity, screens, and exercise helps retrain your brain’s tolerance, while overdoing it too soon can set you back. A physical therapist sorts out the right dose for where you are, then progresses you safely as symptoms allow.
Most patients feel meaningful change within 4–6 visits. A full plan for concussion recovery runs through all four phases, Pain, Prime, Perform, and Prevent, typically over 8–10 weeks, depending on how long symptoms have lingered. Either way, you get a plan with an endpoint: you’ll always know which phase you’re in and what’s left, not an open-ended string of appointments.
Book Your Visit
Ready when you are.
Request a time and a real person calls you back, usually within two business hours. No phone tree. No ‘someone will reach out.’ Just a plan.
- Hours Mon–Fri, 7:30 AM–6 PM
- (209) 207-0849 Prefer to talk now? Call us.
- Same-week appointments available
4.9 · 367+ Google reviews
Typical response: under 2 business hours
Step 1 of 5
Request sent.
That’s the hard part done. We’ll call during business hours to lock in your time. Most people are on the schedule same week.
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